Leader

NST Leader: Insane expectations

The 10th prime minister, barely out of his starting blocks after the tempestuous but cathartic swearing-in last week, must be totally exhausted.

At 75, he's not the spring chicken he used to be, so he must be running on unflagging kinetic energy managing insane expectations.

Anwar needs to sort out the sonorous agitations of his own people, tricky allies, special interest groups, non-governmental organisations, business concerns, industries and parents dealing with their children's education, all in one sitting.

The man obviously needs a handy assistance, but it is a known Anwar characteristic: he has the penchant of going in alone to absorb pressure, like a hard scrub sponge.

So, how soon can he set up his cabinet to distill the exponential demands, proposals, suggestions, risks and threats? At the same time, the arrogations and entreaties are piling up, some deliberative, inundating Anwar with unnecessary encumbrance and distractions.

Like how an educationist group insists on the official recognition of its examination certificate, when contemplative negotiations can be deferred. Anwar should say "chill, saudara", for there are multitude of priorities battling for pecking order, but none more important than the national economic salvation.

Every critical issue has its time and place, but if every one is tripping over the other, nothing meaningful may get done.

Conversely, Anwar is intimate with these internal and external pressing requirements for his undivided attention.

He will recall that after the rapturous 2018 general election victory when Pakatan Harapan stunningly downed the Barisan Nasional hegemony, the verbosity, missives and social media mewlings of "my issues/concerns are more important than yours" so overwhelmed the administration that it ended placating no one.

The priority of getting on with the business of running the country was derailed, opening up that sluice of cunning opportunism leading to the Sheraton coup.

If that's not bad enough, the perennially in-denial débilitants are lobbing delusional accusations against Anwar, the latest that he's an Israeli agent, which he swiftly responded with sardonic aplomb that "he's an agent for many countries". We'll let the police handle all criminally demented and deranged broadsides.

The real motivation, it must be realised, is that these exigencies are divided into the legitimate and the mischievous, some designed to sidetrack Anwar from concentrating on his key agenda.

Among the most retarded thinking: the religious opposition's astonishment that a convict can become a prime minister: as opposed to a prime minister who becomes a convict? The answer to that putrefaction is simple: Anwar secured a royal pardon, winning an absolutely clean slate to run for office.

Besides, what's that about life that gives a stumbler a second chance? And the immense faith of the electorate to give him a contingency for a course correction?

The hoary mewlings need to stop, but it's similar to berating a brick wall. The last thing these doomsayers want is for Anwar to, horrors of horrors, succeed when all expectations had been framed for years that he is a failure. And to Anwar, the people who believe in him would tirelessly nag: don't let us down and don't blunder.

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